CN114846403A - High-refractive index imprint composition and material and its manufacturing process - Google Patents

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present invention generally relate to imprint compositions and materials and related processes useful for nanoimprint lithography (NIL). In one or more embodiments, the imprint composition contains one or more nanoparticles, one or more surface ligands, one or more solvents, one or more additives, and one or more acrylates .

Description

High-refractive-index imprint composition and material and its manufacturing process

background

field

Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to microelectronic processing, and more particularly to imprint compositions and materials useful for nanoimprint lithography (NIL) and related processes.

Related technical description

Nano- and micro-patterning of nanoparticle imprinting offers opportunities for developing nanomaterial-based electronic devices, energy devices, sensors, and other types of devices with nanoscale resolution. Current imprint materials contain organic (high index polymers) or inorganic-organic hybrid materials (sol-gels). Most imprint materials have a low refractive index (<1.7), as well as multiple concerns regarding optical transparency in the visible region, optical resolution, processability, high shrinkage of imprinted features, and cost-effectiveness.

Accordingly, there is a need for improved imprint compositions and materials and related processes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to imprint compositions and materials and related processes useful for nanoimprint lithography (NIL). In one or more embodiments, the imprint composition contains one or more nanoparticles, one or more solvents, one or more surface ligands, one or more additives, and one or more acrylates .

In some embodiments, the imprint composition contains about 0.5 weight percent (wt %) to about 40 wt % nanoparticles, about 50 wt % to about 90 wt % solvent, about 5 wt % to about 40 wt % surface ligand, about 0.01 wt% to about 5 wt% additive, and about 0.1 wt% to about 10 wt% acrylate. In some examples, each nanoparticle is a bare particle without a coating or shell. In other various examples, each nanoparticle contains a core and one or more shells. For example, the core may contain titanium oxide, niobium oxide, or zirconium oxide, while the outer shell may contain silicon oxide, zirconium oxide, niobium oxide, or any combination of the foregoing. The core and shell may comprise the same material or different materials.

In other various embodiments, methods of preparing an imprint surface include disposing, coating, or placing an imprint composition on one or more substrates, contacting the imprint composition with a stamp having a pattern, applying The imprint composition is converted into an imprint material, and the stamp is removed from the imprint material.

Description of drawings

By reference to a number of embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, a more detailed description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be obtained so that the manner in which the above-described features of the invention may be understood in detail. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings depict only exemplary embodiments and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the scope of the invention, for the invention may admit to other various equivalent embodiments.

1A-1F depict cross-sectional views of a workpiece being processed through various operations in preparing nanoparticle-containing nanoimprint films, according to one or more embodiments described and discussed herein.

2 depicts a front view of an optical device in accordance with one or more embodiments described and discussed herein.

For ease of understanding, the same reference numerals have been used wherever possible to refer to the same elements that are common to the drawings. It is contemplated that elements and features of one or more embodiments may be advantageously incorporated into various other embodiments.

Detailed ways

Various embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to imprint compositions and imprint materials useful for nanoimprint lithography (NIL). The imprint composition can be transformed into an imprint material by applying heat and/or one or more radiations, such as light or microwaves. In one or more embodiments, the imprint composition contains one or more nanoparticles, one or more solvents, one or more surface ligands, one or more additives, and one or more acrylates.

Each nanoparticle (NP) can be a single particle or a bare particle or can be a coated particle, such as an NP containing one or more shells disposed around a core. In some examples, nanoparticles can contain one or more surface ligands (eg, liganded NPs or stabilized NPs) coupled to the outer surface of the particle. Nanoparticles can have one or more different shapes or geometries, such as spherical, oval, rod-shaped, cubic, linear, cylindrical, rectangular, or a combination of the foregoing.

The nanoparticle or core can have a size or diameter of about 2 nm, about 5 nm, about 8 nm, about 10 nm, about 12 nm, about 15 nm, about 20 nm, about 25 nm, about 30 nm, or about 35 nm to about 40 nm, about 50 nm, about 60 nm, About 80 nm, about 100 nm, about 150 nm, about 200 nm, about 250 nm, about 300 nm, about 400 nm, about 500 nm, or larger. For example, a nanoparticle or core can have a size or diameter of about 2 nm to about 500 nm, about 2 nm to about 300 nm, about 2 nm to about 200 nm, about 2 nm to about 150 nm, about 2 nm to about 100 nm, about 2 nm to about 80 nm, about 2 nm to about 60 nm, about 2 nm to about 50 nm, about 2 nm to about 40 nm, about 2 nm to about 30 nm, about 2 nm to about 20 nm, about 2 nm to about 15 nm, about 2 nm to about 10 nm, about 10 nm to about 500 nm, about 10 nm to about 300 nm, about 10 nm to about 200 nm, about 10 nm to about 150 nm, about 10 nm to about 100 nm, about 10 nm to about 80 nm, about 10 nm to about 60 nm, about 10 nm to about 50 nm, about 10 nm to about 40 nm, about 10 nm to about 30 nm, about 10 nm to about 20 nm, about 10 nm to about 15 nm, about 50 nm to about 500 nm, about 50 nm to about 300 nm, about 50 nm to about 200 nm, about 50 nm to about 150 nm, about 50 nm to about 100 nm, about 50 nm to about 80 nm, or about 50nm to about 60nm.

Nanoparticles can be or contain one or more metal oxides, non-metal oxides, and/or diamond materials. The nanoparticles may contain niobium oxide, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, hafnium oxide, tantalum oxide, silicon oxide, diamond, or any combination of the foregoing. In some embodiments, if the nanoparticle has one or more shells disposed around the core, the core and shell can be the same material or different materials. The core may contain one or more inorganic materials, while the outer shell may contain one or more organic materials and/or one or more inorganic materials. In one or more embodiments, the core may contain titanium oxide, niobium oxide, or zirconium oxide, and the outer shell may contain silicon oxide, zirconium oxide, niobium oxide, or any combination of the foregoing. Typically, the core and shell contain different materials. In one or more examples, the core contains titanium oxide and the outer shell contains silicon oxide, zirconium oxide, niobium oxide, or any combination of the foregoing. In other various examples, the core contains niobium oxide and the outer shell contains silicon oxide, zirconium oxide, or any combination of the foregoing. In some examples, the core contains zirconia and the outer shell contains silica.

The core has a diameter of about 2 nm, about 3 nm, about 5 nm, about 8 nm, about 10 nm, about 15 nm, about 20 nm, about 30 nm, or about 40 nm to about 50 nm, about 65 nm, about 80 nm, about 100 nm, about 150 nm, about 200 nm, about 250 nm, about 300 nm, about 400 nm, about 500 nm, or larger. For example, the core has a diameter of about 2 nm to about 500 nm, about 5 nm to about 500 nm, about 10 nm to about 500 nm, about 20 nm to about 500 nm, about 50 nm to about 500 nm, about 100 nm to about 500 nm, about 150 nm to about 500 nm, about 200 nm to about 500 nm, about 300 nm to about 500 nm, about 2 nm to about 200 nm, about 5 nm to about 200 nm, about 10 nm to about 200 nm, about 20 nm to about 200 nm, about 50 nm to about 200 nm, about 100 nm to about 200 nm, about 150 nm to about 200 nm, about 2 nm to about 100 nm, about 5 nm to about 100 nm, about 10 nm to about 100 nm, about 20 nm to about 100 nm, about 50 nm to about 100 nm, or about 80 nm to about 100 nm.

The shell has a thickness of about 0.1 nm, about 0.2 nm, about 0.5 nm, about 0.8 nm, about 1 nm, about 1.5 nm, about 2 nm, about 5 nm, about 8 nm, or about 10 nm to about 12 nm, about 15 nm, about 18 nm, about 20 nm, about 30 nm, about 40 nm, about 50 nm, about 60 nm, about 80 nm, about 100 nm, about 150 nm, or more. For example, the shell has a thickness of about 0.1 nm to about 150 nm, about 0.1 nm to about 100 nm, about 0.1 nm to about 80 nm, about 0.1 nm to about 60 nm, about 0.1 nm to about 50 nm, about 0.1 nm to about 40 nm, about 0.1 nm nm to about 30 nm, about 0.1 nm to about 20 nm, about 0.1 nm to about 15 nm, about 0.1 nm to about 10 nm, about 0.1 nm to about 5 nm, about 0.1 nm to about 1 nm, about 0.5 nm to about 100 nm, about 0.5 nm to about 80 nm, about 0.5 nm to about 60 nm, about 0.5 nm to about 50 nm, about 0.5 nm to about 40 nm, about 0.5 nm to about 20 nm, about 0.5 nm to about 15 nm, about 0.5 nm to about 10 nm, about 0.5 nm to about about 5 nm, about 0.5 nm to about 1 nm, about 1 nm to about 150 nm, about 1 nm to about 100 nm, about 1 nm to about 80 nm, about 1 nm to about 60 nm, about 1 nm to about 50 nm, about 1 nm to about 40 nm, about 1 nm to about 30 nm, about 1 nm to about 20 nm, about 1 nm to about 15 nm, about 1 nm to about 10 nm, about 1 nm to about 5 nm, or about 1 nm to about 3 nm.

In some examples, the core has a diameter of about 2 nm to about 500 nm and the outer shell has a thickness of about 0.1 nm to about 100 nm. In other examples, the core has a diameter of about 5 nm to about 200 nm and the shell has a thickness of about 0.5 nm to about 60 nm. In some examples, the core has a diameter of about 10 nm to about 100 nm and the outer shell has a thickness of about 1 nm to about 15 nm.

In one or more embodiments, the imprint composition contains nanoparticles at a concentration of about 0.1 weight percent (wt %), about 0.5 wt %, about 1 wt %, about 2 wt %, about 3 wt %, about 5 wt %, about 6wt%, about 8wt%, or about 10wt% to about 12wt%, about 15wt%, about 18wt%, about 20wt%, about 22wt%, about 24wt%, about 25wt%, about 28wt%, about 30wt%, about 32wt% %, about 35 wt%, about 38 wt%, or about 40 wt%. For example, the imprint composition contains nanoparticles at a concentration of about 0.1 wt% to about 40 wt%, about 0.5 wt% to about 40 wt%, about 0.5 wt% to about 35 wt%, about 0.5 wt% to about 32 wt%, about 0.5 wt% wt % to about 30 wt %, about 0.5 wt % to about 28 wt %, about 0.5 wt % to about 25 wt %, about 0.5 wt % to about 22 wt %, about 0.5 wt % to about 20 wt %, about 0.5 wt % to about 18 wt % %, about 0.5wt% to about 15wt%, about 0.5wt% to about 12wt%, about 0.5wt% to about 10wt%, about 0.5wt% to about 8wt%, about 0.5wt% to about 6wt%, about 0.5wt% % to about 5wt%, about 0.5wt% to about 4wt%, about 0.5wt% to about 3wt%, about 0.5wt% to about 2wt%, about 0.5wt% to about 1.5wt%, about 0.5wt% to about 1wt% %, about 2wt% to about 40wt%, about 2wt% to about 35wt%, about 2wt% to about 32wt%, about 2wt% to about 30wt%, about 2wt% to about 28wt%, about 2wt% to about 25wt%, about 2wt% to about 22wt%, about 2wt% to about 20wt%, about 2wt% to about 18wt%, about 2wt% to about 15wt%, about 2wt% to about 12wt%, about 2wt% to about 10wt%, about 2wt% % to about 8wt%, about 2wt% to about 6wt%, about 2wt% to about 5wt%, about 2wt% to about 4wt%, about 2wt% to about 3wt%, about 5wt% to about 40wt%, about 5wt% to about 35wt%, about 5wt% to about 32wt%, about 5wt% to about 30wt%, about 5wt% to about 28wt%, about 5wt% to about 25wt%, about 5wt% to about 22wt%, about 5wt% to about 20wt% %, about 5 wt% to about 18 wt%, about 5 wt% to about 15 wt%, about 5 wt% to about 12 wt%, about 5 wt% to about 10 wt%, about 5 wt% to about 8 wt%, or about 5 wt% to about 6 wt% .

In other various embodiments, the imprint composition contains nanoparticles at a concentration of about 40 wt %, about 50 wt %, about 55 wt %, about 60 wt %, about 62 wt %, or about 65 wt % to about 68 wt %, about 70 wt % or More. For example, the imprint composition contains nanoparticles at a concentration of about 40 wt % to about 98 wt %, about 50 wt % to about 95 wt %, about 50 wt % to about 90 wt %, about 50 wt % to about 80 wt %, about 50 wt % to about 75 wt % %, about 50wt% to about 70wt%, about 50wt% to about 65wt%, about 50wt% to about 60wt%, about 50wt% to about 55wt%, about 60wt% to about 95wt%, about 60wt% to about 90wt%, about 60wt% to about 80wt%, about 60wt% to about 75wt%, about 60wt% to about 70wt%, about 60wt% to about 65wt%, about 70wt% to about 95wt%, about 70wt% to about 90wt%, about 70wt% % to about 80 wt %, or about 70 wt % to about 75 wt %.

Surface ligands may be or include one or more carboxylic acids, one or more esters, one or more amines, one or more alcohols, one or more silanes, salts of the foregoing, complex, or any combination of the foregoing. Exemplary surface ligands can be or include oleic acid, stearic acid, propionic acid, benzoic acid, palmitic acid, myristic acid ), methylamine, oleylamine, butylamine, benzylalcohol, oleyl alcohol, butanol, octanol, dodecanol ), octyltrimethoxy silane, octyltriethoxysilane, octenyltrimethoxy silane, octenyltriethoxy silane , 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate, propyltriethoxysilane, salts of the aforementioned substances, esters of the aforementioned substances, the aforementioned substances complexes, or any combination of the foregoing. In some examples, the surface ligand is at a concentration of about 8 wt % to about 50 wt % based on the weight of the nanoparticles.

The imprint composition contains the surface ligand at a concentration of about 0.5 wt %, about 1 wt %, about 2 wt %, about 3 wt %, about 5 wt %, about 7 wt %, about 8 wt %, or about 10 wt % to about 12 wt %, about 15 wt %, about 18 wt %, about 20 wt %, about 25 wt %, about 30 wt %, about 35 wt %, about 40 wt %, about 45 wt %, or about 50 wt %. For example, the imprint composition contains surface ligands at a concentration of about 0.5 wt% to about 50 wt%, about 1 wt% to about 50 wt%, about 3 wt% to about 50 wt%, about 5 wt% to about 50 wt%, about 5 wt% to about 5 wt% about 40wt%, about 5wt% to about 35wt%, about 5wt% to about 30wt%, about 5wt% to about 25wt%, about 5wt% to about 20wt%, about 5wt% to about 15wt%, about 5wt% to about 10wt% %, about 10wt% to about 50wt%, about 10wt% to about 40wt%, about 10wt% to about 35wt%, about 10wt% to about 30wt%, about 10wt% to about 25wt%, about 10wt% to about 20wt%, about 10 wt % to about 15 wt %, about 15 wt % to about 50 wt %, about 15 wt % to about 40 wt %, about 15 wt % to about 35 wt %, about 15 wt % to about 30 wt %, about 15 wt % to about 25 wt %, or about 15 wt% to about 20 wt%.

The solvent may be or include one or more nanoparticle dispersion solvents, one or more imprinting solvents, other types of solvents, or a combination of the foregoing. The nanoparticle dispersion solvent may be or include one or more glycol ethers, alcohols, acetic acid, esters of the foregoing, salts of the foregoing, derivatives of the foregoing, or any combination of the foregoing. In some examples, the nanoparticle dispersion solvent can be or include one or more p-series glycol ethers, one or more e-series glycol ethers, or any combination of the foregoing. In one or more examples, the nanoparticle dispersion solvent contains propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA). The imprint solvent may be or include one or more alcohols, one or more esters, salts of the foregoing, or any combination of the foregoing. In one or more examples, the imprinting solvent contains ethyl lactate.

In one or more embodiments, the imprint composition contains the one or more solvents at a concentration of about 50 wt %, about 55 wt %, about 60 wt %, about 62 wt %, about 65 wt %, about 68 wt %, about 70 wt %, about 72 wt %, about 75 wt %, or about 80 wt % to about 83 wt %, about 85 wt %, about 87 wt %, about 88 wt %, about 90 wt %, about 92 wt %, about 94 wt %, about 95 wt %, about 97 wt %, or About 98 wt%. For example, the imprint composition contains one or more solvents at a concentration of about 50 wt% to about 98 wt%, about 60 wt% to about 98 wt%, about 60 wt% to about 95 wt%, about 60 wt% to about 90 wt%, about 60 wt% to about 88wt%, about 60wt% to about 85wt%, about 60wt% to about 83wt%, about 60wt% to about 80wt%, about 60wt% to about 78wt%, about 60wt% to about 75wt%, about 60wt% to about 72wt%, about 60wt% to about 70wt%, about 60wt% to about 68wt%, about 60wt% to about 65wt%, about 60wt% to about 63wt%, about 70wt% to about 98wt%, about 70wt% to about 95wt% , about 70wt% to about 90wt%, about 70wt% to about 88wt%, about 70wt% to about 85wt%, about 70wt% to about 83wt%, about 70wt% to about 80wt%, about 70wt% to about 78wt%, about 70wt% to about 75wt%, about 70wt% to about 72wt%, about 80wt% to about 98wt%, about 80wt% to about 95wt%, about 80wt% to about 90wt%, about 80wt% to about 88wt%, about 80wt% To about 85 wt%, about 80 wt% to about 83 wt%, or about 80 wt% to about 82 wt%.

In some embodiments, the imprint composition contains the nanoparticle dispersion solvent at a concentration of about 0.5 wt %, about 0.8 wt %, about 1 wt %, about 1.5 wt %, about 2 wt %, about 2.5 wt %, about 3 wt %, about 3.5wt%, about 4wt%, about 5wt%, or about 6wt% to about 7wt%, about 8wt%, about 10wt%, about 12wt%, about 14wt%, about 15wt%, about 18wt%, about 20wt%, or about 25 wt%. For example, the imprint composition contains the nanodispersion solvent at a concentration of about 0.5 wt % to about 20 wt %, about 1 wt % to about 20 wt %, about 1 wt % to about 18 wt %, about 1 wt % to about 15 wt %, about 1 wt % to about 1 wt % about 13wt%, about 1wt% to about 12wt%, about 1wt% to about 11wt%, about 1wt% to about 10wt%, about 1wt% to about 8wt%, about 1wt% to about 7wt%, about 1wt% to about 6wt% %, about 1 wt% to about 5wt%, about 1wt% to about 4wt%, about 1wt% to about 3wt%, about 5wt% to about 20wt%, about 5wt% to about 18wt%, about 5wt% to about 15wt%, about 5wt% to about 13wt%, about 5wt% to about 12wt%, about 5wt% to about 11wt%, about 5wt% to about 10wt%, about 5wt% to about 8wt%, about 5wt% to about 7wt%, about 5wt% % to about 6wt%, about 8wt% to about 20wt%, about 8wt% to about 18wt%, about 8wt% to about 15wt%, about 8wt% to about 13wt%, about 8wt% to about 12wt%, about 8wt% to about 11 wt%, about 8 wt% to about 10 wt%, or about 8 wt% to about 9 wt%.

In other various embodiments, the imprint composition contains the imprint solvent at a concentration of about 50 wt %, about 55 wt %, about 60 wt %, about 62 wt %, about 65 wt %, about 68 wt %, or about 70 wt % to about 72 wt % %, about 75 wt %, about 78 wt %, about 80 wt %, about 82 wt %, about 83 wt %, about 85 wt %, about 87 wt %, about 88 wt %, about 90 wt %, or about 95 wt %. For example, the imprint composition contains the imprint solvent at a concentration of about 50 wt % to about 95 wt %, about 60 wt % to about 95 wt %, about 60 wt % to about 90 wt %, about 60 wt % to about 88 wt %, about 60 wt % to about 60 wt % 85wt%, about 60wt% to about 83wt%, about 60wt% to about 80wt%, about 60wt% to about 78wt%, about 60wt% to about 75wt%, about 60wt% to about 72wt%, about 60wt% to about 70wt% , about 60wt% to about 68wt%, about 60wt% to about 65wt%, about 60wt% to about 63wt%, about 70wt% to about 98wt%, about 70wt% to about 95wt%, about 70wt% to about 90wt%, about 70wt% to about 88wt%, about 70wt% to about 85wt%, about 70wt% to about 83wt%, about 70wt% to about 80wt%, about 70wt% to about 78wt%, about 70wt% to about 75wt%, about 70wt% to about 72wt%, about 75wt% to about 98wt%, about 75wt% to about 95wt%, about 75wt% to about 90wt%, about 75wt% to about 88wt%, about 75wt% to about 85wt%, about 75wt% to about 83 wt %, about 75 wt % to about 80 wt %, or about 75 wt % to about 78 wt %.

FS-66或FS-68含氟表面活性剂)、乙醇酸乙氧基油醚(glycolic acid ethoxylate oleyl ether)、聚乙二醇、聚丙二醇、月桂酸、肉豆蔻酸、硬脂酸、棕榈酸、二甲基二乙氧基硅烷(dimethyldiethoxysilane)、聚二甲基硅氧烷(polydimethylsiloxane)、聚二苯基硅氧烷(polydiphenylsiloxane)、六甲基环三硅氧烷(hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane)、八甲基环四硅氧烷(octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane)、硅烷醇封端聚二甲基硅氧烷(silanol terminated polydimethylsiloxane)、乙烯基封端聚二甲基硅氧烷(vinyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane)、1,2-丙二醇(1,2-propanediol)、前述物质的盐类、前述物质的酯类、前述物质的配合物、或前述物质的任何组合。添加剂可以是或包括一个或多个二元醇、一个或多个具有三个或更多个醇基团的醇类、或前述物质的任何组合。在一个或多个实例中，添加剂含有1,2-丙二醇。在一些实例中，基于这些纳米粒子的重量，添加剂的浓度是约0.01wt％至约2.5wt％。The additive may be or include one or more perfluoroalkyl ethers, one or more polyethylene glycols, one or more fatty acids, one or more silanes, one or more siloxanes, or the foregoing any combination of substances. Exemplary additives may be or include fluorosurfactants, fluoroadditives, and/or fluorocarbons (eg, available from DuPont)

FS-66 or FS-68 fluorosurfactant), glycolic acid ethoxylate oleyl ether, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, lauric acid, myristic acid, stearic acid, palmitic acid , dimethyldiethoxysilane, polydimethylsiloxane, polydiphenylsiloxane, hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane, octamethyl cyclotetrasiloxane (octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane), silanol terminated polydimethylsiloxane (silanol terminated polydimethylsiloxane), vinyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane (vinyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane), 1,2-propanediol (1 , 2-propanediol), salts of the foregoing, esters of the foregoing, complexes of the foregoing, or any combination of the foregoing. The additive may be or include one or more glycols, one or more alcohols having three or more alcohol groups, or any combination of the foregoing. In one or more examples, the additive contains 1,2-propanediol. In some examples, the concentration of the additive is from about 0.01 wt% to about 2.5 wt% based on the weight of the nanoparticles.

The imprint composition contains the additive at a concentration of about 0.01 wt %, about 0.05 wt %, about 0.1 wt %, about 0.2 wt %, about 0.3 wt %, about 0.5 wt %, about 0.8 wt %, or about 1 wt % to about 1.2 wt %, about 1.5 wt %, about 1.8 wt %, about 2 wt %, about 2.5 wt %, about 3 wt %, about 3.5 wt %, about 4 wt %, about 5 wt %, about 6 wt %, about 8 wt %, or about 10wt%. For example, the imprint composition contains the additive at a concentration of about 0.01 wt % to about 10 wt %, about 0.01 wt % to about 8 wt %, about 0.01 wt % to about 5 wt %, about 0.01 wt % to about 4 wt %, about 0.01 wt % % to about 3wt%, about 0.01wt% to about 2wt%, about 0.01wt% to about 1wt%, about 0.01wt% to about 0.5wt%, about 0.01wt% to about 0.1wt%, about 0.01wt% to about 0.05wt%, about 0.1wt% to about 10wt%, about 0.1wt% to about 8wt%, about 0.1wt% to about 5wt%, about 0.1wt% to about 4wt%, about 0.1wt% to about 3wt%, about 0.1 wt % to about 2 wt %, about 0.1 wt % to about 1 wt %, about 0.1 wt % to about 0.5 wt %, about 1 wt % to about 10 wt %, about 1 wt % to about 8 wt %, about 1 wt % to about 5 wt % , about 1 wt % to about 4 wt %, about 1 wt % to about 3 wt %, about 1 wt % to about 2 wt %, or about 1 wt % to about 1.5 wt %.

The acrylate may be or include one or more methacrylate, one or more ethylacrylate, one or more propylacrylate, one or more butylacrylate , one or more mono-functional acrylate (mono-functional acrylate), one or more di-functional acrylate (di-functional acrylate), one or more tri-functional acrylate (tri-functional acrylate), other Multi-functional acrylate, or any combination of the foregoing. Exemplary acrylates can be or include 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (3-MPS), 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate ( 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl acrylate), di(ethyleneglycol)methyl ether methacrylate, ethylene glycol methylether methacrylate, 2-methacrylate 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, hexyl methacrylate, methacrylic acid, vinyl methacrylate, the foregoing Monomeric molecules of the foregoing, polymers of the foregoing, salts of the foregoing, complexes of the foregoing, or any combination. In some examples, the concentration of acrylate is from about 0.05 wt% to about 10 wt% based on the weight of the nanoparticles.

The imprint composition contains acrylate at a concentration of about 0.1 wt %, about 0.2 wt %, about 0.3 wt %, about 0.5 wt %, about 0.8 wt %, about 1 wt % to about 1.2 wt %, about 1.5 wt %, about 1.8wt%, or about 2wt%, about 2.2wt%, about 2.3wt%, about 2.5wt%, about 2.8wt%, about 3wt%, about 3.2wt%, about 3.5wt%, about 3.8wt%, about 4wt% %, about 5 wt %, about 6 wt %, about 8 wt %, about 10 wt %, about 12 wt %, about 15 wt %, about 18 wt %, or about 20 wt %. For example, the imprint composition contains acrylates at a concentration of about 0.1 wt% to about 20 wt%, about 0.1 wt% to about 15 wt%, about 0.1 wt% to about 10 wt%, about 0.1 wt% to about 8 wt%, about 0.1 wt% wt % to about 5 wt %, about 0.1 wt % to about 4 wt %, about 0.1 wt % to about 3 wt %, about 0.1 wt % to about 2 wt %, about 0.1 wt % to about 1 wt %, about 0.1 wt % to about 0.5 wt % wt %, about 1 wt % to about 20 wt %, about 1 wt % to about 15 wt %, about 1 wt % to about 10 wt %, about 1 wt % to about 8 wt %, about 1 wt % to about 5 wt %, about 1 wt % to about 4 wt % , about 1 wt % to about 3.5 wt %, about 1 wt % to about 3.2 wt %, about 1 wt % to about 3 wt %, about 1 wt % to about 2.8 wt %, about 1 wt % to about 2.5 wt %, about 1 wt % to about 1 wt % 2.3wt%, about 1wt% to about 2.2wt%, about 1wt% to about 2wt%, about 1wt% to about 1.8wt%, about 1wt% to about 1.5wt%, about 1.8wt% to about 20wt%, about 1.8 wt % to about 15 wt %, about 1.8 wt % to about 10 wt %, about 1.8 wt % to about 8 wt %, about 1.8 wt % to about 5 wt %, about 1.8 wt % to about 4 wt %, about 1.8 wt % to about 3.5 wt % wt %, about 1.8 wt % to about 3.2 wt %, about 1.8 wt % to about 3 wt %, about 1.8 wt % to about 2.8 wt %, about 1.8 wt % to about 2.5 wt %, about 1.8 wt % to about 2.3 wt % %, from about 1.8 wt % to about 2.2 wt %, or from about 1.8 wt % to about 2 wt %.

In one or more examples, the imprint composition contains about 0.5 wt% to about 40 wt% nanoparticles, about 50 wt% to about 90 wt% one or more solvents, about 5 wt% to about 40 wt% surface ligands , about 0.01 wt % to about 5 wt % additives, and about 0.1 wt % to about 10 wt % acrylate. In other various examples, the imprint composition contains from about 1 wt % to about 25 wt % nanoparticles, from about 60 wt % to about 85 wt % one or more solvents, from about 6 wt % to about 35 wt % surface ligands, about 0.05 wt% to about 3 wt% additive, and about 0.3 wt% to about 8 wt% acrylate. In some examples, the imprint composition contains about 5 wt% to about 20 wt% nanoparticles, about 65 wt% to about 80 wt% one or more solvents, about 7 wt% to about 31 wt% surface ligands, about 0.09 wt% % to about 1.5 wt% additive, and about 0.5 wt% to about 6 wt% acrylate.

The imprint composition may have a viscosity measured at a temperature of 23°C of about 1 cP, about 2 cP, about 3 cP, about 5 cP, about 8 cP, or about 10 cP to about 12 cP, about 15 cP, about 20 cP, about 25 cP, about 30 cP , about 40 cP, about 50 cP, or about 70 cP. For example, the imprint composition may have a viscosity measured at a temperature of 23°C of about 1 cP to about 70 cP, about 1 cP to about 50 cP, about 1 cP to about 40 cP, about 1 cP to about 30 cP, about 1 cP to about 20 cP, about 1 cP to about 10 cP, about 1 cP to about 5 cP, about 10 cP to about 70 cP, about 10 cP to about 50 cP, about 10 cP to about 40 cP, about 10 cP to about 30 cP, about 10 cP to about 20 cP, about 20 cP to about 70 cP, about 20 cP to About 50 cP, about 20 cP to about 40 cP, about 20 cP to about 30 cP, or about 20 cP to about 25 cP.

Method for preparing an embossed surface

In one or more embodiments, methods of making imprinted surfaces, such as NIL films, are provided. An imprinted surface is one or more exposed surfaces of the nanoimprinted films described and discussed herein. The method includes disposing, coating, or otherwise placing an imprint composition on one or more substrates, contacting the imprint composition with a patterned stamp, converting the imprint composition into an imprint material (eg, nanoimprint printing film), and removing the stamp from the stamping material. In some examples, the substrate (eg, wafer) may be or include glass, quartz, silicon oxide, such as a glass substrate or glass wafer. In other examples, the substrate may be or include silicon, silicon germanium, plastic, and/or other materials. The imprint composition may have a refractive index of about 1.7 to about 2.0. The pattern on the stamp and transferred to the imprint surface can be a 1-dimensional pattern, a 2-dimensional pattern, or a 3-dimensional pattern.

FIGS. 1A-1F depict cross-sections of workpieces processed through various operations in preparing nanoparticle-containing nanoimprint films, such as nanoimprint films in accordance with one or more embodiments described and discussed herein. picture. The nanoimprint film is formed on the substrate through an imprint process. The imprint process includes disposing a nanoparticle-containing imprint composition 104 on a substrate 102 and aligning a stamp 120 on or near the imprint composition 104 (FIG. 1A). Composition 104 is imprinted or contact imprinted with patterned stamp 120 (FIGS. 1B-1C). The imprint composition 104 is transformed into a nanoimprint film 106 (FIG. ID). In some examples, a curing process with heat and/or radiation (UV light) is used to convert imprint composition 104 into nanoimprint film 106 . The stamp 120 is removed from the nanoimprinted film 106, leaving the nanoimprinted film 106 disposed on the substrate 102 (FIGS. 1E-1F).

In some examples, the imprint composition is disposed on the substrate by spin coating, drop casting, blade coating, and/or other coating processes. The imprint composition is provided on the substrate as a film or layer having a predetermined thickness. The thickness of the imprint composition is about 50 nm, about 80 nm, about 100 nm, about 120 nm, about 150 nm, or about 200 nm to about 250 nm, about 300 nm, about 400 nm, about 500 nm, about 600 nm, about 800 nm, about 1,000 nm, about 1,200 nm nm, or thicker. For example, the thickness of the imprint composition is about 50 nm to about 1,000 nm, about 100 nm to about 1,000 nm, about 200 nm to about 1,000 nm, about 400 nm to about 1,000 nm, about 500 nm to about 1,000 nm, about 600 nm to about 1,000 nm , about 800 nm to about 1,000 nm, about 50 nm to about 600 nm, about 100 nm to about 600 nm, about 200 nm to about 600 nm, about 400 nm to about 600 nm, about 500 nm to about 600 nm, about 50 nm to about 400 nm, about 100 nm to about 400 nm, About 200 nm to about 400 nm, or about 300 nm to about 400 nm.

The imprinting composition is converted into an imprinting material by exposing the imprinting composition to heat, ultraviolet light, infrared light, visible light, microwave radiation, and/or any combination of the foregoing. In one or more examples, when converting the imprint composition into an imprint material, the imprint composition is exposed to a light source having a wavelength of about 300 nm to about 365 nm. In other various examples, when converting the imprint composition into an imprint material, the imprint composition is exposed to heat and maintained at a temperature of about 30°C to about 100°C for a period of about 30 seconds to about 1 hour. In some examples, the imprint composition is exposed to heat and maintained at a temperature of about 50°C to about 60°C for a period of about 1 minute to about 15 minutes.

In one or more embodiments, one or more acrylates in the imprint composition can be polymerized and/or oligomerized while producing (eg, curing or transforming) the imprint material.

The following are several prophetic examples of imprint compositions that can be produced by the various embodiments described and discussed herein.

In one or more embodiments described and discussed herein, the imprint material contains or includes inorganic oxide nanoparticles (about 1 wt % to about 95 wt %), a methacrylate or acrylate or chloro-acrylate binder (about 0.1 wt % to about 10 wt %), high boiling components such as glycols, fatty acids, amines (about 0.1 wt % to about 5 wt %), and diethyl ether or acetic acid solvent (about 5 wt % to about 20 wt %), With optimum viscosity (about 1 cP to about 50 cP at about 23°C). The imprint material exhibits a high index of refraction greater than 1.7 with optical transparency greater than 90% in the visible region at various weight percentages (about 1 wt % to about 50 wt %), and is tolerated with about 1 wt % to about 30 wt % ( In some examples, high-resolution large area patterning of feature shrinkage of less than 1%). Nanoimprint lithography combined with high refractive index materials provides a unique procedure to fabricate imprintable devices by directly imprinting this functional material. The patterned film has the final desired optical functionality and does not require additional etching steps. This approach combines the advantages of both a top-down lithography process to fabricate micro/nanostructures with a high degree of control and a bottom-up synthetic chemistry approach to design and tune the properties of patterned films.

In other various embodiments described and discussed herein, inorganic nanoparticle imprint compositions are prepared and have a low viscosity of about 1 cP to about 50 cP (at about 23° C.), a high refractive index, and are optically transparent and simple deal with. The inorganic imprint composition may comprise or contain spherical or cubic or oval nanoparticles, which may or may not be core-shell, in a high boiling ether or acetic acid based solvent from about 1 wt % to about 80 wt %, (about 2 to about 20 nm). The imprint composition may include or contain one or more of the following: methacrylate or acrylate binders (about 0.1 wt % to about 10 wt %), fatty acids (about 0.05 wt % to about 5 wt %), amines (about 0.05 wt % to about 5 wt %) 0.05 wt % to about 5 wt %), PEG-based monomer molecules (about 0.1 wt % to about 15 wt %), and perfluoro or silicone dispersants (about 0.05 wt % to about 5 wt %), one of the foregoing one or more as surfactants. The final imprint composition maintains optical clarity at room temperature (about 23°C) for greater than 6 months and can be used with or without filtration.

In certain embodiments, scalable, solvent-assisted soft NIL methods are used to generate large-area nanopatterned features and structures. This form of NIL uses polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) or other silicone stamps, many of which can be produced from a silicon master, And each of the polydimethylsiloxane or other silicone stamps can be reused many times with minimal cost. The area of the imprinted structures is thus mainly limited only by the size of the original patterned masterbatch. Feature sizes smaller than 100 nm can be replicated using PDMS. Briefly, the filtered or undisturbed imprint composition is dispensed on the surface of the substrate. The substrate is rotated to produce a film having a thickness of about 100 nm to about 400 nm. The PDMS mold is placed on the surface of the spinning film and then thermally cured at about 50°C to about 60°C. UV curing is accomplished with a light source having a wavelength of about 300 nm to about 365 nm and a power of about 10 Jcm" ² to about 50 Jcm" ² . After curing of the imprint composition to produce the imprint material, the PDMS stamp is removed in the direction of the grid or opposite to the grid. The released stamp is reused, and the stamp can be additionally cured by thermal and/or UV treatment to densify the material.

FIG. 2 depicts a front view of an optical device 200 including a nanoimprinted film 106 as depicted in FIG. 1F , in accordance with one or more embodiments described and discussed herein. It is to be understood that the optical device 200 described below is an exemplary optical device. In one or more embodiments, the optical device 200 is a waveguide combiner, such as an augmented reality waveguide combiner. In other various embodiments, the optical device 200 is a flat optical device, such as a metasurface. Optical device 200 includes a plurality of device structures 204 . The device structures 204 may be nanostructures having sub-micron scales, eg, nanoscale scales, such as critical dimensions of less than 1 μm. In one or more embodiments, regions of device structure 204 correspond to one or more grids 202, such as grid region 202a and grid region 202b. In one or more embodiments, the optical device 200 includes a first grid region 202a and a second grid region 202b, and each of the first grid regions 202a and 202b includes a plurality of device structures 204, respectively.

In various embodiments described herein, the depth of grid 202 may vary across grid region 202a and grid region 202b. In some embodiments, the depth of the grid 202 may smoothly vary over the range of the first grid region 202a and the second grid region 202b. In one or more embodiments, the depth of a grid region across the grid regions can vary from about 10 nm to about 400 nm. The grid area 202a in some examples may vary from about 20 mm to about 50 mm on a given side. Thus, as some examples, the angle of change in the depth of grid 202 may be on the order of .0005 degrees.

In various embodiments described herein, laser ablation may be used to create device structures 204 . As used herein, laser ablation is used to create three-dimensional microstructures in the device material, or optionally to create variable depth structures in a sacrificial layer overlying the device material as part of variable depth structure processing. The use of laser ablation to create the optical structure 204 allows fewer processing operations and higher variable depth resolution than existing methods.

Embodiments of the invention further relate to any one or more of the following paragraphs 1-46:

CLAIMS 1. An imprint composition comprising: nanoparticles; one or more solvents; surface ligands; additives; and acrylates.

2. An imprint composition comprising: about 0.5 wt % to about 40 wt % nanoparticles; about 50 wt % to about 90 wt % solvent; about 5 wt % to about 40 wt % surface ligands; about 0.01 wt % to about 0.01 wt % about 5 wt % additive; and about 0.1 wt % to about 10 wt % acrylate, wherein each nanoparticle comprises a core and a shell, wherein the core comprises titanium oxide, niobium oxide, or zirconia, wherein the shell comprises silicon oxide, zirconium oxide, Niobium oxide, or any combination of the foregoing, and wherein the core and outer shell comprise different materials.

3. The imprint composition of paragraph 1, wherein the imprint composition comprises: about 0.5 wt % to about 40 wt % nanoparticles; about 50 wt % to about 90 wt % solvent; about 5 wt % to about 40 wt % surface formulation; body; about 0.01 wt % to about 5 wt % additive; and about 0.1 wt % to about 10 wt % acrylate.

4. The imprint composition of any of paragraphs 1-3, wherein the imprint composition comprises: about 1 wt % to about 25 wt % nanoparticles; about 60 wt % to about 85 wt % solvent; about 6 wt % to about 35 wt% surface ligand; about 0.05 wt% to about 3 wt% additive; and about 0.3 wt% to about 8 wt% acrylate.

5. The imprint composition of any of paragraphs 1-4, wherein the imprint composition comprises: about 5 wt % to about 20 wt % nanoparticles; about 65 wt % to about 80 wt % solvent; about 7 wt % to about 31 wt% surface ligand; about 0.09 wt% to about 1.5 wt% additive; and about 0.5 wt% to about 6 wt% acrylate.

6. The imprint composition of any of paragraphs 1-5, wherein the nanoparticles have a group selected from the group consisting of spherical, oval, rod-shaped, cubic, linear, cylindrical, rectangular, or a combination of the foregoing shapes Group of shapes.

7. The imprint composition of any of paragraphs 1-6, wherein the nanoparticles comprise a metal oxide or diamond material.

8. The imprint composition of any of paragraphs 1-7, wherein the nanoparticles comprise niobium oxide.

9. The imprint composition of any of paragraphs 1-8, wherein each nanoparticle comprises a core and one or more shells.

10. The imprint composition of paragraph 9, wherein the core comprises titanium oxide and the outer shell comprises silicon oxide, zirconium oxide, niobium oxide, or any combination of the foregoing.

11. The imprint composition of paragraph 9, wherein the core comprises niobium oxide and the outer shell comprises silicon oxide, zirconium oxide, or any combination of the foregoing.

12. The imprint composition of paragraph 9, wherein the core comprises zirconia and the outer shell comprises silicon oxide.

13. The imprint composition of any of paragraphs 1-12, wherein each of the nanoparticles and/or core independently has a diameter of about 2 nm to about 500 nm and the shell has a thickness of about 0.1 nm to about 100 nm.

14. The imprint composition of any of paragraphs 1-13, wherein each of the nanoparticles and/or core independently has a diameter of about 5 nm to about 200 nm and the shell has a thickness of about 0.5 nm to about 60 nm.

15. The imprint composition of any of paragraphs 1-14, wherein each of the nanoparticles and/or core independently has a diameter of about 10 nm to about 100 nm and the shell has a thickness of about 1 nm to about 15 nm.

16. The imprint composition of any of paragraphs 1 to 15, wherein the surface ligands comprise carboxylic acids, esters, amines, alcohols, silanes, salts of the foregoing, complexes of the foregoing, or any of the foregoing combination.

17. The imprint composition according to any of paragraphs 1 to 16, wherein the surface ligand comprises oleic acid, stearic acid, propionic acid, benzoic acid, Palmitic acid, myristic acid, methylamine, oleylamine, butylamine, benzyl alcohol, oleyl alcohol, butanol ( butanol), octanol, dodecanol, octyltrimethoxy silane, octyltriethoxy silane, octenyltrimethoxy silane ), octenyltriethoxy silane, 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate, propyltriethoxy silane , salts of the foregoing, esters of the foregoing, complexes of the foregoing, or any combination of the foregoing.

18. The imprint composition of any of paragraphs 1-17, wherein the concentration of the surface ligand is from about 8 wt% to about 50 wt% based on the weight of the nanoparticles.

19. The imprint composition of any of paragraphs 1-18, wherein the solvent comprises a nanoparticle dispersion solvent, an imprint solvent, or a combination of the foregoing.

20. The imprint composition according to any of paragraphs 1 to 19, wherein the solvent comprises a nanoparticle dispersion solvent, and wherein the nanoparticle dispersion solvent comprises glycol ethers, alcohols, acetic acid, esters of the foregoing, Salts, derivatives of the foregoing, or any combination of the foregoing.

21. The imprint composition of paragraph 20, wherein the nanoparticle dispersion solvent comprises p-series glycol ethers, e-series glycol ethers, or any combination of the foregoing.

22. The imprint composition of paragraph 21, wherein the nanoparticle dispersion solvent comprises propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA).

23. The imprint composition of paragraph 20, wherein the imprint composition comprises the nanoparticle dispersion solvent at a concentration of about 0.5 wt% to about 20 wt%.

24. The imprinting composition of any of paragraphs 1-23, wherein the solvent comprises an imprinting solvent, and wherein the imprinting solvent comprises an alcohol, an ester, a salt of the foregoing, or a combination of the foregoing.

25. The imprinting composition of paragraph 24, wherein the imprinting solvent comprises ethyl lactate.

26. The imprinting composition according to paragraph 24 or 25, wherein the imprinting composition comprises the imprinting solvent at a concentration of from about 60 wt% to about 95 wt%.

27. The imprint composition of any of paragraphs 1-26, wherein the additive comprises a dihydric alcohol, an alcohol having three or more alcohol groups, or any combination of the foregoing.

28. The imprint composition according to paragraph 27, wherein the additive comprises 1,2-propanediol.

29. The imprint composition of any of paragraphs 1-28, wherein the additive comprises a perfluoroalkyl ether, polyethylene glycol, fatty acid, silane, siloxane, or any combination of the foregoing.

30. The imprint composition according to any of paragraphs 1 to 29, wherein the additive comprises a fluorosurfactant, a fluoroadditive, and/or a fluorocarbon, glycolic acid ethoxylate oleylether , polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, lauric acid, myristic acid, stearic acid, palmitic acid, dimethyldiethoxysilane, polydimethylsiloxane, polydiphenyl Siloxane (polydiphenylsiloxane), hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane (hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane), octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane), silanolterminated polydimethylsiloxane (silanolterminated polydimethylsiloxane), vinyl blocked Vinyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane, salts of the foregoing, esters of the foregoing, complexes of the foregoing, or any combination of the foregoing.

31. The imprint composition of any of paragraphs 1-30, wherein the concentration of the additive is from about 0.01 wt% to about 2.5 wt% based on the weight of the nanoparticles.

32. The imprint composition according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 31, wherein the acrylate comprises methacrylate, ethylacrylate, propylacrylate, butylacrylate, Mono-functional acrylate, di-functional acrylate, tri-functional acrylate, or other multi-functional acrylate, or any combination of the foregoing.

33. The imprint composition according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 32, wherein the acrylate comprises 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (3-MPS), 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl acrylate (3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl acrylate), di(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate, ethylene glycol methyl ether ethylene glycol methyl ether methacrylate, 2-ethylhexylmethacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, hexylmethacrylate, methacrylic acid ), vinylmethacrylate, salts of the foregoing, complexes of the foregoing, or any combination.

34. The imprint composition of any of paragraphs 1-33, wherein the concentration of acrylate is from about 0.05 wt% to about 10 wt% based on the weight of the nanoparticles.

35. The imprint composition of any of paragraphs 1-34, wherein the imprint composition has a viscosity of about 1 cP to about 50 cP when measured at a temperature of 23°C.

36. A method of making an imprint surface, comprising: disposing an imprint composition according to any of paragraphs 1-35 on a substrate; contacting the imprint composition with a patterned stamp; placing the imprint composition Converting to an imprint material; and removing the impression from the imprint material.

37. The method of paragraph 36, wherein the imprinting composition is converted into an imprinting material by exposing the imprinting composition to heat, ultraviolet light, infrared light, visible light, microwave radiation, or any combination of the foregoing.

38. The method of paragraph 36 or 37, wherein converting the imprint composition into an imprint material further comprises exposing the imprint composition to a light source having a wavelength of about 300 nm to about 365 nm.

39. The method according to any of paragraphs 36-38, wherein converting the imprint composition into an imprint material further comprises heating the imprint composition to a temperature of about 30°C to about 100°C for about 30 seconds to about 1 hour period.

40. The method according to any of paragraphs 36-39, wherein converting the imprint composition into an imprint material further comprises heating the imprint composition to a temperature of about 50°C to about 60°C for about 1 minute to about 15 minutes period.

41. The method of any of paragraphs 36-40, wherein the imprint composition is disposed on the substrate by spin coating, drop coating, or blade coating.

42. The method of any of paragraphs 36-41, wherein the imprint composition is disposed on the substrate as a layer having a thickness of from about 50 nm to about 1,000 nm.

43. The method of any of paragraphs 36-42, wherein the imprint composition is disposed on the substrate as a layer having a thickness of from about 100 nm to about 400 nm.

44. The method of any of paragraphs 36-43, wherein the imprint composition has an index of refraction of about 1.7 to about 2.0.

45. The method of any of paragraphs 36-44, wherein the pattern on the stamp is a 1-dimensional pattern, a 2-dimensional pattern, or a 3-dimensional pattern.

46. The method according to any of paragraphs 36-45, wherein the substrate comprises glass.

While the foregoing has been directed to various embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments may be contemplated without departing from the essential scope of the invention, which is to be determined by the appended claims. All documents described herein are incorporated herein by reference, including any priority documents and/or test procedures inconsistent with this document. As will be apparent from the foregoing general description and various detailed descriptions, while the form of this disclosure has been shown and described, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, it is not intended that the present invention be limited thereby. Likewise, the term "comprising" is used as a synonym for the term "comprising" for purposes of patent law. Likewise, whenever a composition, element, or group of elements is prefixed with the transitional phrase "comprising", it will be understood that the transitional phrase "consisting essentially of," "consisting of," "consisting essentially of," "consisting of," "consisting of," "consisting of," The constituent, element, or elements referred to are selected from the group consisting of", or "is" prefixed with the same constituent or group of elements, and vice versa.

Certain embodiments and features have been described using a set of upper numerical limits and a set of lower numerical limits. Unless otherwise specified, it is to be appreciated that combinations of any two numerical values are included, for example, combinations of any lower value with any higher value, a combination of any and two lower values, and/or any and two higher values are contemplated combination of values. Certain lower values, upper values and ranges appear in one or more of the claims below.

Claims (20)

1. An imprinting composition comprising:

a plurality of nanoparticles;

one or more solvents;

a surface ligand;

an additive; and

an acrylate.

2. The stamping composition of claim 1, wherein the stamping composition comprises:

about 1 weight percent (wt%) to about 25 wt% of the plurality of nanoparticles;

about 60 wt% to about 85 wt% of the solvent;

about 6 wt% to about 35 wt% of the surface ligand;

about 0.05 wt% to about 3 wt% of the additive; and

about 0.3 wt% to about 8 wt% of the acrylate.

3. The imprint composition of claim 1, wherein the plurality of nanoparticles comprises a niobium oxide or a diamond material, and wherein the plurality of nanoparticles have a diameter of about 5nm to about 200 nm.

4. The imprinting composition of claim 1, wherein each nanoparticle comprises a core and a shell.

5. The imprinting composition of claim 4, wherein the core comprises titanium oxide, niobium oxide, or zirconium oxide, wherein the shell comprises silicon oxide, zirconium oxide, niobium oxide, or any combination of silicon oxide, zirconium oxide, niobium oxide, and wherein the core and the shell comprise different materials.

6. The imprinting composition of claim 4, wherein the core has a diameter of about 2nm to about 500nm and the shell has a thickness of about 0.1nm to about 100 nm.

7. The imprinting composition of claim 1, wherein the surface ligand comprises oleic acid, stearic acid, propionic acid, benzoic acid, palmitic acid, myristic acid, methylamine, oleylamine, butylamine, benzyl alcohol, oleyl alcohol, butanol, octanol, dodecanol, n-octyltrimethoxysilane, n-octyltriethoxysilane, octenyltrimethoxysilane, octenyltriethoxysilane, 3- (trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate, propyltriethoxysilane, salts of the foregoing, esters of the foregoing, complexes of the foregoing, or any combination of the foregoing, and wherein the surface ligand is at a concentration of about 8 wt% to about 50 wt% based on the weight of the plurality of nanoparticles.

8. The imprinting composition of claim 1, wherein the solvent comprises a nanoparticle dispersing solvent, and wherein the nanoparticle dispersing solvent comprises a glycol ether, an alcohol, acetic acid, an ester of the foregoing, a salt of the foregoing, a derivative of the foregoing, or any combination of the foregoing.

9. The imprint composition of claim 8, wherein the nanoparticle dispersion solvent includes a p-series glycol ether, an e-series glycol ether, or a combination of the foregoing, and wherein the imprint composition includes the nanoparticle dispersion solvent at a concentration of about 0.5 wt% to about 20 wt%.

10. The imprinting composition of claim 1, wherein the solvent comprises an imprinting solvent, wherein the imprinting solvent comprises an alcohol, an ester, a salt of the foregoing, or a combination of the foregoing, and wherein the imprinting composition comprises the imprinting solvent at a concentration of between about 60 wt% and about 95 wt%.

11. The imprinting composition of claim 1, wherein the additive comprises a glycol, an alcohol having three or more alcohol groups, or any combination of the foregoing.

12. The imprinting composition of claim 1, wherein the additive comprises a perfluoroalkyl ether, a polyethylene glycol, a fatty acid, a silane, a siloxane, or any combination of the foregoing.

13. The imprinting composition of claim 1, wherein the additive comprises a fluorosurfactant, a fluorine-containing additive, and/or a fluorocarbon, glycolic acid ethoxy-based oil ether, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, lauric acid, myristic acid, stearic acid, palmitic acid, dimethyldiethoxysilane, polydimethylsiloxane, polydiphenylsiloxane, hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane, octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, silanol-terminated polydimethylsiloxane, vinyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane, salts of the foregoing, esters of the foregoing, complexes of the foregoing, or any combination of the foregoing.

14. The imprinting composition of claim 1, wherein the additive is at a concentration of about 0.01 wt% to about 2.5 wt%, based on the weight of the plurality of nanoparticles.

15. The imprinting composition of claim 1, wherein the acrylate comprises methacrylate, ethyl acrylate, propyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, monofunctional acrylate, difunctional acrylate, trifunctional acrylate, or other multifunctional acrylate, or a combination of the foregoing, and wherein the acrylate is at a concentration of about 0.05 wt% to about 10 wt% based on the weight of the plurality of nanoparticles.

16. The imprinting composition of claim 1, wherein the imprinting composition has a viscosity of about 1cP to about 50cP, and a refractive index of about 1.7 to about 2.0, when measured at a temperature of 23 ℃.

17. An imprinting composition comprising:

about 0.5 wt% to about 40 wt% of a plurality of nanoparticles;

about 50 wt% to about 90 wt% of a solvent;

about 5 wt% to about 40 wt% of a surface ligand;

about 0.01 wt% to about 5 wt% of an additive; and

about 0.1 wt% to about 10 wt% of an acrylate,

wherein each nanoparticle comprises a core and a shell,

wherein the core comprises titanium oxide, niobium oxide, or zirconium oxide,

wherein the shell comprises silicon oxide, zirconium oxide, niobium oxide, or any combination of the foregoing, and

wherein the core and the shell comprise different materials.

18. A method of preparing a stamping surface, comprising the steps of:

disposing an imprinting composition on a substrate, wherein the imprinting composition comprises a plurality of nanoparticles, a solvent, a surface ligand, an additive, and an acrylate;

contacting the imprint composition with a stamp having a pattern;

converting the imprint composition into an imprint material; and

removing the stamp from the imprint material.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein converting the imprint composition into the imprint material further comprises exposing the imprint composition to a light source having a wavelength of about 300nm to about 365 nm.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein converting the imprint composition to the imprint material further comprises heating the imprint composition to a temperature of about 50 ℃ to about 60 ℃ for a period of about 1 minute to about 15 minutes.

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